Compression test on a Mercury Capri XR2 / 323 motor

[oldhat]

Hi everyone, I did a few searches and didn't see anything about this question. I'm considering buying a used 1991 XR2. It has high miles 185k but the guy said he replaced the head gasket and shaved the heads. It looks pretty well taken care of.

I will do a compression and leakdown test on the motor before I buy. Any idea what this motor should blow on the compression test?

Is a car with such high mileage worth buying? Are these Mazda motors/chassis reliable?

Any trouble spots I should look out for when buying a used XR2 (timing belts, CV joints, etc.)?

Thanks.

[fastiva604]

my compression on my good xr-2 enigne i had a while back was 130 across and it ran very very good.. best stock engine i've had until i blew it up racing a mustang cobra lol..

as long as they are all about the same and at least like 120 or 130 across, it should be good.

how much are you paying?? i have seen them as low as 1000-1500 range.. i wouldnt pay more than about 2000.. maybe 2500 if it had lower mileage and it was in very good shape..

[Rocketman]

aim for 140-170 across the board. They're really reliable unless you do crazy stuff like run more than 16lbs of boost.

My XR2 is still going at 195k miles, I'm on my second engine but its got the same mileage as the original car.

the turbo is probably getting tired, plan on rebuilding it if you're going to run the car hard.

[oldhat]

Thanks guys. The guy is asking $1500...

It looks like it's in pretty good shape for an 18 year old car. The convertible top is in good and the body and paint are still clean.

Good call on rebuilding the turbo. I don't plan on trashing this car at all. It's just something to tool around in.

That said, I would love to find out what kind of suspension upgrades are out there. Does anyone know if the 323 suspension bits carry over to the XR2?

[Rocketman]

Anything that works on the GT sedan works on the XR2. GTX rear bits dont work on the XR2.

[oldhat]

Forgive my ignorance but are you talking about the Mazda 323 GT sedan that was Canadian domestic market, right?

Or are you talking about an Escort GT?

Or are they mechanically the same thing?

Sorry, the intercompatibility between all of these marks and models is really confusing. Thank you for being so helpful.

[FamiliaGT]

LOL, the Mazda 323 GT was a US Marketed car as well. The 1988 GT (Only year it was imported) is the chassis to work from.

As so far as compression, Stock compression should be around 160 PSI. The FSM says 120 PSI being the lowest.

I will say, Im nearing 200k on my stock block, and it reads 105 across the board. But at 16 psi, you would never know it, as it still has alot of kick left in it. If each cylinder holds consistant pressure, at around the same PSI of eachother, Then you should be good. Im going to guess yours will be in the 130 PSI range if its a stock engine, without a rebuild.

Turbo rebuilding would be a good idea. The one thing I will pass onto you from my own experiences, is have the shop take a hard, and careful look at the Compressor wheels and shaft. I had a VJ14 (stock B6T Turbo) rebuilt last year, and it came back, I installed it, and it had a very bad metal, on metal whine. I sent it back about 3 times until they finally found the shaft to be fatigued, and tired. Wasnt the shops fualt, as this is one of those things that you really have to be looking for to spot. If you have any doubts, spend the extra 70$ on a new shaft. New turbo, and a chipped ECU, turned up to 16PSI = FUN!

Good luck.

[fastiva604]

aim for 140-170 across the board. They're really reliable unless you do crazy stuff like run more than 16lbs of boost.

My XR2 is still going at 195k miles, I'm on my second engine but its got the same mileage as the original car.

the turbo is probably getting tired, plan on rebuilding it if you're going to run the car hard.

140-170? damnnn! lol i could only dream of those numbers..

[fastiva604]

doesnt altitude effect compression tests?

the air say where i live is a lot thinner then at sea level so i was just thinking.. prob not a HUGE difference but it just came accross my mind.

anyone know how much it would effect?